Another Chance
by Spirit Of Euphoria
Summary: Ginny needs love and affection, and finds it in a very unlikely person. What happens when it is of the forbidden type? Teacher/student relationship involved.
1. Chapter 1

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A/N: This fic is something of an experiment for me; I've never explored such a pairing before. I give you fair warning; this fic deals with the issues surrounding teacher/student relationships. If that kind of thing bothers you, then this fic is obviously not for you. You have been warned!!!

Another Chance

By Spirit Of Euphoria

Chapter 1

It was a warm September evening, and the autumn sun stretched its fingers lazily across the sky, caressing the landscape with a lover's touch. Trees were thrown into sharp-edged silhouette against the blazing orange horizon, completing the idyllic portrait.

Ginny Weasley stared morosely into the distance, her knees tucked up to her chest in a position of insecurity. The late sunlight poured over her, and she was glad of the slight warmth it gave her. She'd been out here for a couple of hours now, maybe even more. She didn't think she could stomach going to the Gryffindor common room. Ron would be gazing lovingly at Hermione, and Harry would be mooning over Cho as usual. She stifled a sob at the thought and buried her face in her hands.

She didn't know who she was kidding. Harry would never notice her. To him, she was just Ron's shy little kid sister. He wanted Cho, not some silly little girl who idolised him.

She uncurled herself from her position and peered into the shimmering surface of the lake. Reflected there was a youthful face, faint freckles dusting her cheeks and her tiny, pixie-like nose. Light brown eyes glanced questioningly back at her from beneath long eyelashes. She couldn't see the simplistic beauty in her features; she'd always seen herself as a freckly redhead, gawky and immature in appearance.

However, Harry wasn't the only thing bothering her. It was the upcoming Ball to celebrate Professor Dumbledore's seventy-fifth year of teaching at Hogwarts. It had been the idea of Professor McGonagall to mark the momentous occasion with a Ball of some description. 

And Ginny knew all too well what Balls meant. 

Partners.

And she knew full well that she would be spending the night alone and miserable, watching couples with the same wistful expression in her eyes. True, she had gone to the Yule Ball three years ago with Neville Longbottom, but that was where it stopped. She liked Neville as a friend, but it was Harry that she wanted. 

Nobody knew how she felt. Nobody knew how it felt to be so lonely, so miserable, so…unloved. She might as well just give up now. Nobody could even begin to empathise with her…

********

Staring out of the staffroom window, Professor Severus Snape blinked and rubbed his eyes. Who on earth was that, sitting beside the lake at this time on an evening? Stupid imbecile. Didn't they know it was safer in the confines of the school? 

The figure approached the front entrance to the school, and Snape recognised the person immediately, by her flaming red hair. Virginia Weasley. Why on earth was she wandering the grounds at dusk? His eyes narrowed slightly into an intimidating glare and he wrapped his cloak around himself, a satisfied sneer creeping upon his features. 

He pushed open the window that he'd been looking out of, and watched as Ginny Weasley stared up at the window in fright.

"Miss Weasley," he said coldly, "I would like to see you in my office. Five minutes."

He closed the window with a snap, and smiled wryly to himself. The perfect start to the year…taking points from Gryffindor House. He didn't have many pleasures in this job…this just happened to be one of them.

He made his way down to his office in the dungeons…and waited. Fairly soon, a gentle knock came at the door, and he leant back casually in his chair, a smirk on his face.

"Come in."

Ginny Weasley stepped into the room, visibly shaking. Snape noticed this with a degree of sadistic satisfaction, and steepled his fingers together, peering enquiringly at Ginny.

"You may sit," he said, and Ginny settled thankfully into a wooden chair opposite Snape's desk. "Now, Miss Weasley, may I ask why you were wandering the grounds after dusk? Surely a girl of your intellect should appreciate the dangers of such behaviour."

Ginny didn't reply. How could she? What was she supposed to say? 'I'm sorry, Professor. I was feeling depressed and was contemplating jumping in the lake.' Yeah. That would go down really well. She kept quiet and twisted her hands together uneasily.

"Well?" persisted Snape, leaning towards Ginny slightly. After an awkward pause, he sighed in exasperation. "Very well, Miss Weasley. If you won't tell me the reasoning behind your behaviour, I have no option but to remove points from Gryffindor-"

"Don't do that," exclaimed Ginny, in panic. "I was…I just needed to be alone."

Snape's eyes widened slightly. "Indeed, Miss Weasley? And what was wrong with say, the library? Or the dormitory?"

"I just wanted to go outside," replied Ginny, simply. "That's all."

Snape glanced at Ginny through ebony lashes. She looked somewhat preoccupied. Well, he wouldn't get anything out of the girl whilst she was like this. Probably mooning over Potter. Silly girl.

"You may go, Miss Weasley," he said, with a casual wave of his hand. "I am inclined to take your behaviour with a pinch of salt, but I can assure you the next time, I will not be so lenient."

Ginny got up from her chair quickly, her cheeks flushed, and hurried out of Snape's office as fast as she dared under his piercing gaze. Once the door was closed, Snape sighed and pushed his hands through his hair, already lank from the stress of the day. Dear Lord. He was obviously cracking up. He'd just let a Gryffindor escape punishment from him. 

Still, she'd looked a little upset about something…somewhat preoccupied. Probably Potter, he thought to himself. He couldn't understand for the life of him why she was interested in the ignorant little git. All she was doing was inflating his already overlarge ego.

Even so, he'd noticed that something wasn't quite right with Ginny Weasley for a while now. She was becoming less attentive in Potions as of late, making ridiculous mistakes in the simplest of things. Tonight's incident had only served to confirm his suspicions that something was amiss with the girl. Alone, wandering the grounds, avoiding her friends? Something had to be wrong.

Well, it was none of his business, anyway. And he didn't even know why he was bothered about the silly little Gryffindor. Let her swoon over Potter and find out for herself. It was her own fault for being so bloody naïve. 

********

Ginny couldn't believe her luck. Escaping punishment from Snape? She'd have to tell everybody about that one.

Then again, they'd probably never believe it.

She rubbed her eyes, thinking hard. Why hadn't he punished her? He'd told her that she wasn't supposed to be out in the grounds after dusk. She'd broken a school rule and he'd not even removed points from Gryffindor. She shook her head slightly. Strange.

She'd often wondered about Professor Snape, in some strange, empathic way. Wondered why he was so cold, so seemingly bitter. Nobody could be that mean without a reason. And for all his dry, cruel sarcasm, he was still strangely charismatic. There was something that she couldn't quite put her finger on, but it was there all the same.

She pressed her hand to her forehead and groaned. She was sympathising with Professor Snape, of all people. Her nasty, sardonic teacher, who delighted in belittling her at every opportunity. He didn't deserve to be understood. 

But it was something that Ginny couldn't help; she was kind-hearted for all her fiery temper at times. Nobody really understood her either; just like him.

She never told anybody what she was thinking, of course. Ron would be disgusted, Hermione would probably laugh and Harry…Harry wouldn't say anything, but she knew full well what he'd think. He'd be repulsed, insulted. 

Upon reaching the portrait of the Fat Lady, she steeled herself with the ease of long practice, and said the password (Peppered Imps- she supposed that was Dumbledore's choice) and stepped through the portrait hole with as much courage as she could muster.

Her heart sank.

Hermione, Harry and Ron were sitting around a small table, appearing to be deep in conversation. They were evidently talking about something funny, for Ron and Harry kept laughing and joking amongst themselves. They obviously didn't want her there. She bit her lip slightly and walked past the rest of the Gryffindors, purposefully keeping her eyes averted.

"Hey, Ginny!"

Ginny turned around slowly, almost reluctantly, to see Ron gesturing to her to join them. She smiled weakly, making sure to keep the mask firmly in place, and went over to the trio.

"Where've you been?" asked Ron, once Ginny was beside them.

"Just to the library," she lied, crossing her fingers behind her back. "I had some extra work to do for Charms."

"You should have asked me if you wanted help!" exclaimed Hermione. "Honestly, I don't mind."

"Oh, it's fine, really," said Ginny, dismissively. "I only needed to research something. Anyway, I'm going to bed…I'm really tired."

"But Ginny, it's only quarter past nine," protested Ron. "Surely you can't be that tired."

"It's all this work," she said, vaguely. "See you in the morning."

"Night," they all called, as Ginny made her way up the staircase to the dormitories. Ron frowned slightly and drummed his fingers thoughtfully on the table.

"There's something wrong with her," he said, finally. Hermione looked at Ron.

"Of course there is," she said, glancing at Harry meaningfully. 

"Oh!" exclaimed Ron, getting the point. "Yeah, but she's liked Harry for ages now. This is just a recent thing."

Hermione sighed in exasperation. "Perhaps you'd like to say that a little louder, I'm not sure the Slytherins quite heard you."

"What?" exclaimed Ron, in amazement.

"You're so tactless, Ron," she said, angrily. "No wonder Ginny's so upset all the time, with you broadcasting her crushes left, right and centre."

"Look, let's not row over it," said Harry quickly, upon seeing a steely glint in Hermione's eye and Ron's cheeks flushed with anger. "Anyone for a game of Gobstones?"

Ron quickly forgot his anger as Harry withdrew a set of Gobstones from a nearby cupboard, lost in discussion with Harry. Hermione sighed and opened her Arithmancy book. 

"_Boys_," she muttered savagely to herself.

****

A/N: Just setting the scene at the moment…and I'm hoping to be able to post chapters a little sooner now, seeing as I'm on study leave from college (no more college! Yippee!) before I go to university. My e-mail is sundancekid164@hotmail.com** if you wish to give any feedback or want information on the progress of a story.**


	2. Chapter 2

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A/N: Thank you to those who reviewed…I'm trying valiantly to keep everybody in character and also trying not to rush the relationship between the two, so let me know what you think as usual.

Another Chance

By Spirit Of Euphoria

Chapter 2

It was a while before Ginny allowed herself to surrender to sleep that night; she tossed and turned, the crisp sheets tangling themselves around her limbs and doing nothing to ease her comfort. With a frustrated sigh, she sat up and pushed her hands despairingly through her hair. She hadn't been sleeping well as of late, that much was true. But this was beyond a joke…she counted herself lucky if she could snatch a couple of hours of sleep these days, let alone the average eight hours.

Languidly, she swung her willowy legs out of her bed and got up, stretching as she did so. It was a warm night, which hadn't exactly helped the situation either. She glanced enviously at the other girls in her dormitory, all sleeping soundly, their duvets hugged tightly to them. They were lucky…they didn't have half the worries she did.

Ginny didn't confide in many people for various reasons. For one thing, she didn't really trust any of the other sixth year Gryffindor girls to keep a secret. They were friendly enough, but Ginny didn't feel like she could truly confide in them and hope that they could keep what she told them quiet.

The other reason that was firmly fixed in her subconscious was that the last time she'd truly confided in somebody, she'd almost ended up dead. 

She tried not to think about her first year too much; it was a part of her life that she'd sooner have forgot, but often came to haunt her memories and dreams. She hadn't been able to sleep for weeks, months after. That high-pitched laugh, ringing in her ears, taunting her from afar…she still had nightmares now.

Even Hermione didn't know _everything_. True, Ginny had told her about Neville, Harry, even the beginning of her periods…but never about Tom. Tom had bent her to his will, had made her set that Basilisk on her classmates…her friends. Hermione could have been dead by now, and it would have been her fault.

Ginny dismissed the thought quickly from her mind. She'd been stupidly naïve to trust a complete stranger. But at least nobody was dead as a result of it. She didn't think she'd have been able to cope if there had.

She glanced at the clock on her bedside table. One o'clock in the morning. With a sudden feeling of impatience and frustration, she flung her sheets and duvet away from her, and stood up. She had to get out of here. Where, she didn't know. 

She picked up her bathrobe and wrapped it around herself, and tiptoed carefully to the door of the dormitory, opening it gingerly so as not to make a noise. One of the girls stirred slightly as the door creaked a little, and Ginny squeezed through the gap, not wanting to wake anybody else.

She tiptoed down the stairs, into the empty Gryffindor common room, and through the portrait hole. 

"And where might you be going, Virginia?" 

Ginny swung round to see the Fat Lady glancing questioningly at her. Damn! She'd forgotten all about her.

"I can't sleep," she said, truthfully. "I just wanted a bit of fresh air away from the dormitory."

The Fat Lady nodded, satisfied, and Ginny breathed a soft sigh of relief. She hadn't realised how risky sneaking out was. How Harry, Ron and Hermione managed it, she didn't know.

But she stopped thinking about that. Thinking of Harry only served to make her miserable now. Normally she'd have wanted any excuse to think about him. But she knew she couldn't have him, and that was what hurt the most. 

She padded softly down the stairs, and stopped at the bottom. Where should she go? She could go out in the grounds, like she had done that evening. It was a warm night and she needn't stay out for long if she didn't want to. 

Her mind made up, she slipped down a little side passage. She couldn't go out of the main doors at this time of night. It'd be safer to use one of the side doors instead.

She opened the door cautiously, and sighed in relief as the cool night air washed over her. As she stepped outside, she realised she wasn't wearing any shoes or slippers. But she didn't care; it wasn't cold and she wasn't going to be outside for long.

She made her way down towards the lake, the moonlight illuminating her figure, throwing it into soft silhouette against the inky skyline. She could see the giant squid propelling itself across the lake, its huge tentacles visible above the water's surface.

She sat at the water's edge for some time, sad eyes fixed upon the stars. She'd seen so many shooting stars in her nocturnal strolls, and had wished for so much. She'd wished for Harry so many times, and had waited in eager hope for the older boy to notice her. 

And yet, she was never rewarded. But she never gave up hope; she would cling to it desperately in the hope that one day, something might happen…that Harry would view her in a different light.

A star suddenly shot across the skyline, startling Ginny slightly. The night had been so still that the sudden movement had startled her.

"All I wanted was to be loved," she murmured miserably, her eyes still fixated upon the moving star. She turned her head away slightly, trying to blink away the sudden tears.

__

There's no point moping about it, hissed a spiteful voice at the back of her mind. _Harry probably doesn't even find you attractive_.

Ginny hated that spiteful voice. Mainly because it was her own thoughts. And she didn't want to admit them to herself. She'd sooner carry on kidding herself, thinking that there could be a chance for her and him.

She gasped in terror as a firm hand clasped hold of her shoulder, and swung her round to face the opposite direction.

It was Professor Snape.

********

"So, Miss Weasley," said Snape, closing his office door. "I catch you out of bounds yet again. Tell me, what do I have to do to make you understand? What do I have to say to you to impress upon you the seriousness of such an offence? You know yourself the dangers. Or is this perhaps just a pathetic demonstration of your childish insolence?"

Ginny stared miserably at the floor, unable to answer for tears welling up in her eyes. Snape clicked impatiently and sat in his chair opposite Ginny.

"Well?" he continued. "I'm waiting for an answer, Miss Weasley. Why were you out of bounds yet again? And at one thirty in the morning, no less?"

"You wouldn't understand," whispered Ginny, miserably. "You don't care. You just want to take points from Gryffindor."

Snape was surprised at the girl's frankness. It seemed there was a lot to be said for Gryffindor courage.

"I just want to know why you were wandering the grounds at one thirty in the morning," he said. "As I told you only several hours ago, Miss Weasley, it is not safe to be alone at night wandering the grounds. Plus the fact it is breaking school rules."

"I needed to be alone," she said, softly. "If you knew, you'd understand."

Snape's eyes widened slightly in an expression of surprise. "Knew what, Miss Weasley?"

"Like I say, you wouldn't understand," she repeated, her coppery hair tumbling in front of her face, obscuring her expression from Snape. She heard him get up, and started in shock as she felt a hand brush ever so slightly against her face, tucking her hair behind her ears. He returned to his chair behind his desk, and looked at Ginny.

"I do like to see who I'm talking to," he said, dryly. Ginny smiled slightly at the comment, then realised exactly what she was smiling at. Dear Lord. She was smiling at something Professor Snape had said. And it hadn't felt bad when he'd pushed her hair behind her ears, either. It had felt quite…nice.

"So, am I to find out exactly why you were wandering the grounds past midnight?" he continued, his dark eyes fixated upon Ginny's. 

"I'm sorry, Professor," said Ginny, meekly. "It won't happen again."

"And yet, you assured me of that the last time it happened," replied Snape, feeling impatient. "Twenty points from Gryffindor and a detention."

Ginny started to her feet in alarm. "Professor…please…"

"No arguments." He waved his hand towards the door. "Eight o'clock tomorrow night. No excuses."

Ginny stared at him, dumbstruck. "But…"

"You may go, Miss Weasley," he said curtly, not looking at her. Ginny bowed her head slightly and retreated from the room, closing the door softly behind her.

Snape sighed in frustration and pushed his hands despairingly through his hair. He couldn't let that happen again. But when he'd touched her, she hadn't flinched away from him. It was a long time since he'd had intimate contact with a woman. What if this was his chance for happiness at last?

__

Stop it, he told himself firmly. _She's your student, for goodness' sake! She's what, twenty years younger than you?_

But she was attractive; not stunningly so, and not so that people would be naturally struck by it. It was more in an unobtrusive manner; she had a simplistic beauty about her that made her attractive. He wished he hadn't noticed it now. He'd never be able to do anything about his feelings because of the situation; he was a teacher, and she his student. She probably wouldn't be interested in him anyway. Ha! The very thought was laughable. Him? Yes, that was right…the 'ugly duckling' of the family. _Bless Cousin Ophelia's black humour_, he thought wryly to himself.

Oh, he knew what everybody called him. Greasy, cruel, sarcastic, to name but a few. Greasy wasn't strictly fair to him anyway…his hair was naturally oily and working in the environment that he did didn't exactly help the matter. Anyway, was it any of their business? Had he ever cared about their asinine opinions before? Teachers weren't supposed to care, anyway. He had a job to do, and personal feelings didn't come into it. That was all there was to it.

********

Ginny felt miserable as she made her way back to the Gryffindor common room. Twenty points from Gryffindor and a detention? How could he? How she could have thought that Professor Snape was mellowing was beyond her now. Hateful, nasty…

__

Now you don't mean that, said the voice at the back of her mind. _You like him really, don't you?_

Ginny pushed the thought firmly out of her mind. Of course she didn't. He was her teacher, for Merlin's sake! He was also a nasty, sarcastic, cruel…

She found herself unable to finish the sentence. Did he really deserve that? After all, she had been out of bounds…and after curfew as well. He'd been quite lenient with her, considering all that. And…dear Circe…the way he'd touched her that night had been enough to melt away the bitter resentment she held towards him. She'd never imagined him to be so gentle, nor to be able to touch somebody so tenderly, almost like a lover would. She shivered at the recollection.

But he probably didn't mean anything by it, she told herself firmly. She was probably just reading too much into it. 

All the same though, she wasn't looking forward to her detention. At least two hours in a freezing cold dungeon with Snape, probably doing some sort of gruesome task. Neville had told Ginny before of Snape's ideas of punishment; disembowelling a barrel full of horned toads. He'd still had intestines under his nails a week after.

It wasn't a prospect that Ginny found attractive at all.


	3. Chapter 3

A/N: Thank you again to all my reviewers, and thank you also for being so patient with the progress of this story! I've had so much to do with university and I've finally got some time to continue with it now. Please also bear in mind that I have just read The Order of the Phoenix, and wrote this quite some time before, so it may not fit fully with the real story. I have tried to add subtle comments suggesting to Book 5, but I do not think there are any real spoilers.  
  
Another Chance  
  
By Spirit Of Euphoria  
Chapter 3  
  
"You're kidding."  
Ron Weasley stared at his little sister, his jaw wide open in unflattering disbelief.  
"Just leave it, Ron," she said coolly. "It's detention, it was going to happen and I've done well to avoid it for six years."  
"But.but." Ron appeared to be lost for words. "That's not fair," he finished, lamely.  
"And you think life is?" retorted Ginny. "Just leave it. And don't tell anybody. Don't even tell Harry or Hermione."  
"Oh, but they're." began Ron, then broke off as Ginny shot him a glare. "Okay, I won't tell them."  
"Good."  
"Don't know why you want to keep it so quiet." he said, after a pause.  
"Can't you leave anything alone?" she exclaimed, turning and walking off in the opposite direction.  
"What?" yelled Ron indignantly after her, but gave up as she turned the corner and disappeared from view.  
  
Ginny was fuming as she stalked down the corridor. Why did everybody have to be so inquisitive all of a sudden? Wasn't it bad enough that she had to spend the evening with Snape, disembowelling toads, that Ron had to make it worse by broadcasting it through Gryffindor House? She was surprised he hadn't stolen Lee Jordan's magical megaphone and announced it to the entire student body.  
"Special announcement to all Hogwarts students; Ginny Weasley has detention with Professor Snape."  
Oh, yes. She could just imagine it now.  
  
The clock struck half past seven in the common room, and Ginny glanced up at it in despair. Half an hour until her detention with Snape and her stomach felt no better for it.  
Oh, and there they were, she thought bitterly. The dream team huddled up in their usual corner together, giggling over Gobstones or some other childish malarkey. Were they bothered that she was sitting alone, staring out of the window? Bothered that she'd been a little preoccupied of late?  
She couldn't sit here any longer, she decided. The constant chatter and giggling was driving her mad. Besides, Colin Creevey would be coming in soon and that was something she just wasn't up to at all.  
She got up and left the common room, nobody acknowledging her absence at all. Just a microcosm of the situation that was her life.  
Anyway, you never knew. Snape might let her off a little if she turned up early. He might think it showed willing.  
Wasn't that a pig flying past the window?  
On the other hand, he might let her get the detention out of the way, and she wouldn't have to return at midnight like every other student who served detention with him.  
She wandered lazily down the stairs, being careful to watch out for the crafty bottom stair that gave way unexpectedly beneath one's feet. The corridors were deserted after dinner that night, for which she was thankful; she didn't think she was up to sneers from the Slytherins, or sympathy from the Hufflepuffs. No, better to get this out of the way with as little fuss as possible.  
And yet, how wrong she was.  
  
It was strangely cold that night; Ginny was glad of her cloak and the minimalistic heat from the flaming torches upon the walls.  
Presently, she arrived outside Snape's classroom, and tapped softly on the door, trying to calm her writhing stomach.  
"Come," called a cold voice, somewhat lazily.  
Ginny stepped cautiously into the familiar dungeons, and noticed a fire in the grate, projecting dancing shadows onto the dank walls. Snape was sitting behind his desk, regarding Ginny with cold disdain.  
"Evening, Miss Weasley," he said, curtly, and consulted his watch. "You needn't think that turning up early will let you off the hook, either."  
Ginny sighed. No surprise there.  
"What do you want me to do, then?" she asked, levelly.  
Snape turned to her, his fingers steepled together. "Well.I surmised that as you liked the darkness and the great outdoors so much, you could accompany me in the Forbidden Forest tonight."  
He ignored Ginny's almost inaudible gasp of fright, thriving upon the fear he instilled into her, and continued in the same casual manner.  
"I have several potion ingredients to obtain, and some can only be picked at the full moon."  
"But.but." Ginny didn't know how to protest, or why she even dared to protest.  
"What is it, Miss Weasley?" he said, irritably. "You may be sure that there are no werewolves or other beasts in the Forest. After all," he added, with a cruel smile, "Professor Lupin is no longer here."  
Ginny felt a red-hot flame of anger rise inside her, and couldn't ignore it.  
"Isn't that a little careless, taking me into the Forbidden Forest with the threat of the Dark over this school?" she said, her arms folded. "Not forgetting the gracious welcome we received from the Centaurs."  
"I do not appreciate your sarcasm, Weasley," he snarled. "Be thankful I am accompanying you this time, and not as one of Potter's little hair- brained schemes."  
Ginny gave up, but made her dislike of Snape very clear.  
"I don't have my cloak," she managed to reply, at last. "I'll be cold."  
Muttering savagely about unprepared, naïve Gryffindors, he crossed the room to his office and emerged with a cloak of his own, and threw it inconsiderately into Ginny's lap as he swept past her. She fingered the thick material of the cloak gently, before wrapping it shyly around her shoulders.  
"Well, come on, girl," he said, with a bite of impatience. "We haven't got all night."  
Ginny got up from her chair, the hem of Professor Snape's cloak just touching the floor as she followed him obediently.  
She noticed how fast he walked; she practically had to run just to keep up with him. She felt extremely small and insignificant next to him, and was glad of the fact that he was using the back corridors. She didn't think she could stand Draco Malfoy sneering at her with his thugs. "Hurry up," he snarled, as they reached the castle door. "Now is not the time for dawdling, Miss Weasley."  
"Sorry," she said, out of breath. She'd only been five steps behind him.  
They moved outside, and Ginny shivered as the cold night air wrapped around her and clung to her body. She pulled Snape's cloak around herself more tightly, feeling vulnerable and scared.  
No words were spoken between the two as they made their way silently towards the Forbidden Forest. Ginny's nerves were stretched to the limit as noises alien to her ears startled her from time to time. The musky smell of the undergrowth filled her nostrils, carried by the surprisingly warm night air.  
Snape said nothing as they trudged over branches and dead leaves, pushing bits of undergrowth out of their way. Ginny noticed that, if nothing else, at least Snape had some gentlemanly decorum; he held branches away from her, rather than letting them slap back into her face. Strange, she thought idly. Maybe he was nice, or at least had been in his younger days.  
A crack sounding from behind made Ginny jump and impulsively grasp hold of Professor Snape's arm.  
"Get off me, you silly girl," he snarled, shaking his arm free of her. "I thought Gryffindors were supposed to be brave, and not turn into gibbering wrecks at the slightest sign of danger."  
"But Professor." she began.  
"Come now, Miss Weasley," he said, through gritted teeth. "I wouldn't have brought you in here if there was any danger. For one, I am not in the habit of risking my own life."  
"I might have known you'd only think of yourself," muttered Ginny, under her breath. He turned to her.  
"What did you say?" he asked, in a dangerously soft voice. Ginny stared at him, unable to speak, intimidated by his dark eyes that glinted ominously.  
"Nothing." she faltered, looking down at the floor. He made an impatient noise under his breath and continued to walk.  
Ginny still didn't feel comfortable. Her keen ears picked up the slightest movement in the undergrowth, the footfalls that she wondered whether they belonged to her.or something else.What if it was that giant? Or something worse?  
Then an eerie silence descended like a thick velvet curtain around her, seeming to smother atmospheric interference. She blinked, wondering if Professor Snape felt it too.was it an enchanted patch in the Forest?  
She whirled round, trying to find the source of the silence and screamed.  
A tall, hooded figure advanced upon her, a rotting hand outstretching from beneath its robes, a terrible noise emanating from its throat.clutching at her, pulling her closer until she could feel the edges of her consciousness slipping away from her. Ginny had the feeling of being plunged into deep, freezing water, that flooded her nose, her mouth, her lungs.she gasped, feeling as if she was drowning. Come to me, Ginny.I see good things for you, if you do as I say.Clever girl.my apprentice of the night, the dark.  
Screams echoing, reverberating around cold walls closing in on her.something slithering around her ankles, and a dark haired teenager, coaxing and persuasive, so charming.  
You are like no other.Lord Voldemort will reward you.your soul will be mine.Sweet, innocent Virginia.  
Desperate screams echoing in her mind, reverberating painfully in her ears.  
It's right, Ginny.rid the school of the filth.release the Basilisk.kill.rip.tear.  
Ginny gasped again, trying to draw air.help, somebody please help.  
Then, the screams and the soft, persuasive voice grew quieter, as if being called from a distance now. The cold became more tolerable, and Ginny was able to draw breath at last.  
As if through a light haze, she saw the outline of a huge silver bird.was it an eagle? It was so large, and was chasing that.that thing away, swooping upon it, making it fade away into the distance.  
The last thing Ginny saw before she surrendered to unconsciousness was Professor Snape, reaching out to touch the silver eagle before it shimmered into thin air. 


End file.
